Pearcey Foundation names Jordan Green as new chair
Tue, 7th Apr 2026
The Pearcey Foundation has appointed Jordan Green as Chair, ending Wayne Fitzsimmons' 27-year tenure in the role.
Former Australian Computer Society President Helen McHugh has also joined the board as a Director, adding another senior figure from Australia's technology sector to the foundation's leadership.
The appointments reshape the leadership of an organisation focused on recognising contributions to Australia's information and communications technology sector since its establishment in the late 1990s.
Green has been involved with the Pearcey Foundation since 2009 as a committee member and organiser. Outside the foundation, he has worked across startups, investment and advisory roles, and has founded or co-founded more than 20 ventures across three continents.
He is also founder and former Chair of a University of Melbourne Industry Advisory Group, and founder and President Emeritus of Melbourne Angels, an investment group with more than 90 members backing early-stage businesses and smaller companies.
Fitzsimmons took up the role after responding to an advertisement placed by founding Chair Ian Dennis in The Age in 1999. During his tenure, he helped build the foundation's profile through its awards, oration and heritage work.
Although stepping down from the top role, Fitzsimmons will remain on the board as Immediate Past Chair. He will also continue to lead the foundation's Australia 4.0 initiative, which is examining changes needed in Australia's electricity system as renewable energy sources become more prominent.
Leadership change
Green outlined a broad agenda for the organisation under the new board structure.
"We have a remarkable year ahead of us in recognising, celebrating, and promoting the outstanding individuals who are making, or have made, significant contributions to the benefit of our ICT community and industry. I'm excited by enhancements we are planning for our awards program and the development of the Pearcey Museum - a virtual national computer museum - watch this space!" said Jordan Green, Chair, Pearcey Foundation.
He also credited his predecessor with helping shape the organisation's standing in the sector.
"Thanks to Wayne's leadership and drive over many years, the Pearcey Awards have become the most prestigious state and national personal awards program in ICT in the country, the Pearcey Oration the most significant annual technology address in Australia, and our heritage program a robust and uniquely valuable collaboration that brings to light and celebrates the remarkable achievements of Australians in ICT," Green said.
Fitzsimmons linked the foundation's work to a broader argument about confidence in the domestic technology sector.
"The success of the Foundation is largely due to the work of so many friends and volunteers who have shared the Pearcey mantra of promoting ICT to Australia and Australians. I've always said that we don't just punch above our weight in ICT, we genuinely and regularly have had the opportunity to be the global leader in our chosen domain - we just need to back ourselves. A case in point is our leadership position today in quantum computing," said Wayne Fitzsimmons, Immediate Past Chair, Pearcey Foundation.
Board addition
McHugh joins after serving a two-year term as President of the Australian Computer Society in 2024 and 2025. Her appointment adds another senior industry representative to the foundation's governance as it continues to focus on awards and historical recognition in Australian computing.
Green said McHugh also has a personal link to the foundation's history.
"Helen's considerable ICT leadership skills and her passion for our industry and the people who work in it make her a welcome addition to our board. Helen also brings a personal connection with the Pearcey Foundation. One of her earliest childhood memories is visiting the CSIRAC laboratory at Sydney University to see her father, who worked as a programmer alongside Trevor Pearcey," Green said.
The updated board and officer group includes Green as Chair, Fitzsimmons as Immediate Past Chair, Simon Foster as Treasurer, Rick Harvey as Entrepreneur Awards Chair, Professor Maurice Pagnucco as Lifetime Awards Chair, McHugh as Board Member, and Dr Peter Thorne as Heritage Committee Chair.
Established in 1998 in memory of Dr Trevor Pearcey, one of the early figures in Australian computing, the Pearcey Foundation promotes the ICT profession and recognises individuals whose work has shaped the sector.
The leadership transition comes as the foundation continues to balance recognition of current industry figures with preserving Australian computing history, including work on the Pearcey Museum, which Green described as a virtual national computer museum.